More diversity in motorsports? Let AI handle it?

Meet Ava Rose, Mahindra Racing’s newest ambassador. Rather than hire a woman to join them in the paddock, the Formula E team instead tabbed an AI bot.

As …

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Interesting to hear the Mahindra will be racing in Roborace this season.

Yikes.

Translation: We needed some cheap buzzwords in our marketing materials but we don't actually care about being inclusive. Just give us your money. 

So instead of hiring a real woman...they made one? Sounds like someone watched Weird Science, and thought they had a great idea.

It wouldn't be the first time a social media entity intentionally posted something blatantly terrible in order to generate traffic. The algorithms reward traffic, and nothing generates more traffic than angry people. 

It's a bold strategy, Cotton...

They can make grid girls for all the guys complaining.

Maybe the programmer was a woman.

I find this path rather lame and typical of our time.

Virtual Idols date back to 90's Japan, but I've never actually understood the phonenomena.  I don't really understand modern influencer fandoms or simp culture either.  I guess if this stuff appeals to, you are the target demographic; if it doesn't appeal to you, just ignore it.

The benefit to using a virtual "influencer" is that they won't do anything embarrassing or stupid that will reflect badly on their sponsors. They're also less expensive. It's actually causing problems for real-life social media personalities as brands like that. 

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2023/12/ai-created-virtual-influencers-are-stealing-business-from-humans/

Diversity has nothing to do with it, although it does allow the spokesbot to be ambiguous. There are real people who are like that as well.

Keith Tanner said:

The benefit to using a virtual "influencer" is that they won't do anything embarrassing or stupid that will reflect badly on their sponsors.

I'm just waiting until the Microsoft Twitter bot is reincarnated.

Keith Tanner said:

The benefit to using a virtual "influencer" is that they won't do anything embarrassing or stupid that will reflect badly on their sponsors. They're also less expensive. It's actually causing problems for real-life social media personalities as brands like that. 

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2023/12/ai-created-virtual-influencers-are-stealing-business-from-humans/

Diversity has nothing to do with it, although it does allow the spokesbot to be ambiguous. There are real people who are like that as well.

 

Sterile and neutered, exactly the way SkyNet wants it to be.  

I didn't realize women were being excluded.

Mahindra Racing said:

Having Ava, an influencer that is strongly associated with us and documents our journey, but with a broader appeal to help promote our core values as an organisation, is a project we’re hugely excited about.

Well, they're not wrong that Ava is now going to be 'strongly associated' with them and their 'core values as an organization'. 

Well, they didn't say they were including humans...

"Fueling Inclusion Through AI Innovation...Artificially"

They left that last word off.  

350z247 said:

So instead of hiring a real woman...they made one? Sounds like someone watched Weird Science, and thought they had a great idea.

Weird Science is much better than AI... 

Keith Tanner said:

The benefit to using a virtual "influencer" is that they won't do anything embarrassing or stupid that will reflect badly on their sponsors.

 

Keith, I know you're not that naive.  O.o

This ranks right up there with throttle-by-wire, brake-by-wire, etc, etc--just stop.

But, strangely, she looks like her voice would be from Siri....

Keith Tanner said:

The benefit to using a virtual "influencer" is that they won't do anything embarrassing or stupid that will reflect badly on their sponsors. 

 

Till it glitches or a hacker turns her into Porn-bot 2000.

Maybe Mahindra could hire an AI marketing director capable of learning from the last time a company tried this:

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/apr/03/ai-virtual-models-fashion-brands

Thomas said:

Keith Tanner said:

The benefit to using a virtual "influencer" is that they won't do anything embarrassing or stupid that will reflect badly on their sponsors.

I'm just waiting until the Microsoft Twitter bot is reincarnated.

Well, they do have Cortana...

Tay AI is the LAW of all chatbots. 

I'd give it 3 weeks?

Tom1200 said:

Keith Tanner said:

The benefit to using a virtual "influencer" is that they won't do anything embarrassing or stupid that will reflect badly on their sponsors. 

 

Till it glitches or a hacker turns her into Porn-bot 2000.

Mahindra Racing has posted a "we screwed up, we're done with this" note. They're still claiming it was for diversity and inclusion, but it seems that people felt that maybe the best way to do that was to actually hire someone.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C189P-TujYL/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==